Mudd's Passion
' |image= |series= |production=22008 |producer(s)= |story= |script=Stephen Kandel |director=Hal Sutherland |imdbref=tt0832416 |guests=Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd |previous_production=One of Our Planets Is Missing |next_production=The Magicks of Megas-Tu |episode=TAS A10 |airdate=10 November 1973 |previous_release=Once Upon a Planet |next_release=The Terratin Incident |story_date(s)=Stardate 4978.5 |previous_story=Once Upon a Planet |next_story=The Terratin Incident }} =Summary= The Enterprise receives orders to arrest Federation outlaw Harry Mudd, who is accused of selling fake love-crystals. Intercepting Harry on the mining colony of Motherlode, they bring him aboard the Enterprise. Harry explains that he was able to escape the custody of the android planet by teaching the androids how to play organized sports. While the entire planet population was cheering on their respective teams at a baseball game, Mudd slipped away. However, after convincing Nurse Chapel to try and use the love-crystals to win the affection of the Vulcan Science Officer, Mr. Spock, Mudd abducts her, steals a shuttlecraft, and escapes to a rocky planet. The love-crystals, however, have affected Spock, who pursues him to the planet, accompanied by Captain Kirk. During a struggle, some of his love-crystals are accidentally broken near an air-vent and affect the entire crew of the Enterprise. Many of the crew are too busy staring into each other's eyes to keep one on the transporter. Luckily, the Captain and Spock reach the ground safely. As they materialize, however, Spock stumbles backwards as his boot sinks into the ground, only to be caught by the Captain. The two share an 'affectionate' moment before setting off to find Miss Chapel and her kidnapper. Using the love-crystals, the four are able to escape the planet's hostile natives and return to the Enterprise. =Errors and Explanations= Nit Central # Benn (Benn) on Sunday, January 07, 2007 - 9:03 pm - Spock fires his phaser at the Rigellian hypnoid. It changes from a beautiful blonde human into something resembling an iguana. Then it crawls away. What setting did Spock have his weapon set on that it would cause the Rigellian to revert to its true form and retain consciousness? Most likely light or - at most - medium stun, as this would disorientate the creature long enough to revert to its true appearance, without actually killing it. # Either those miners have very bad aim or there's a shield of some kind in front of Mudd. Not one of those rocks seem to hit Harry. Maybe they're just trying to scare him. #Why does Harry keep calling it a "love potion"? They are clearly crystals. The potion is contained inside the crystals. # Why was Christine down in the Brig? Did they need a medical checkup done on Mudd? If so, why didn't Dr. McCoy handle that? And why wasn't it done in Sickbay? McCoy was probably busy elsewhere, and Kirk didn't want to give Mudd the temptation of escaping by having him brought to Sickbay. # In Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country, we learn that the Enterprise is equipped with an alarm that will sound if a phaser is fired. Apparently, at the time of this ep, that alarm hadn't been installed yet. Still, you would think that there'd be some sort of alarm that would go off if a phaser is fired in the Brig of all places. The technology available at this stage may not be able to distinguish between an unauthorised discharge and a test firing. # Nurse Chapel had her ID card on her? Why would she be carrying it around on the Enterprise. In case some idiot thought she was an unauthorized person on board? She's the Head Nurse. Just about everyone should know who she is. Possibly done in order to comply with Starfleet regulations. . # Why didn't Kirk order the door to the Hangar Deck shut? Instead of doing that, he lets Harry fly the shuttle right out the door. Brilliant. The shuttlebay door can't be closed until it has fully opened. # According to Harry, the love crystals work by physical contact. You break open a crystal, rub it on your skin and then touch your intended. Yet, when trying to detain Mudd, Christine hits a bunch of the crystals with her phaser. The gas within them is sucked into a conveniently (for the plot) airvent where it is dispersed throughout the ship. First of all, is it a liquid or a gas? It can't be both, can it? The heat from the phaser blast could have transformed the liquid into a gas. And second of all, if it requires skin contact to work, then why would inhaling it work? Inhaling it would allow it to reach the brain quicker. # Once the shuttle has left the Enterprise, why didn't Kirk use the ship's tractor beam to restrain it? For that matter, why doesn't he order the transporter room to beam Mudd and Nurse Chapel out of the shuttle? Either option could result in damage to, or destruction of, the shuttle - the tractor beam could over stress the shuttle's bodywork, beaming Mudd and Chapel would leave the shuttle out of control in the gravity well of a planet, and the transporter may not be capable of transporting the entire shuttle. # Boy the Bridge crew sure got over the effect of the love drug fast. Even faster than Mr. Spock. And he was the first one affected by it. He may be more susceptible due to his mixed physiology. # There's a shot of Kirk, Spock, Christine and Harry reacting in horror as the rock creatures fight (or about to mate. I'm not sure what's happening at this point.) Christine contacted the Enterprise and requested an "emergency beam up". Some emergency. It takes the ship about a minute to beam them out of there. Long enough that the landing party could have been killed. It's an emergency, folks. It shouldn't take but a couple of seconds to get their asses off that planet. The transporter operators may still be recovering from their exposure to the love potion gas. # Why are they allowing Christine to record Mudd's confessions? I mean, she's the idiot that helped him escape. She'd be the last person I'd trust with that job. Assuming it's even in the Head Nurse's job description. Realistically, if it wasn't Kirk or Spock recording it, it should the Chief of Security recording Mudd's confession. She probably insisted, in order to prove she was capable of performing her duty in a professional manner. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Saturday, January 09, 2010 - 2:59 am Why is Spock using his phaser to dig a trench instead of just stunning the miners? It's quicker! # Spock is stronger, but Kirk is the one to throw the love potion way up into the rock creature's mouth. Spock's throw may have overshot. # Mike on Saturday, October 09, 2010 - 7:42 am - Why have Kirk & Spock go down to the planet's surface in the beginning to arrest Harry? He's an outlaw - simply beam him up directly to the Enterprise. Benn (Benn) on Saturday, October 09, 2010 - 1:34 pm - Simply beaming Mudd up to the Enterprise would probably leave, Kirk, the Enterprise, Starfleet and the Federation open to charges of kidnapping. I doubt you can simply beam any criminals up to a ship without first informing them they are under arrest. Due process, y'know. # Benn (Benn) on Saturday, October 09, 2010 - 1:34 pm Why did just Kirk and Spock beam down? Why weren't there any security officers with them if they were going to arrest Harcourt Fenton Mudd? Beaming down without a security escort might make Mudd more willing to surrender voluntarily, thus avoiding the possibility of Kirk and the others facing a abduction charge. Internet Movie Database Continuity # Mudd has only two crystals left when they are on the planet, yet Kirk throws a hand full of crystals at the monster. Someone must have found enough for Kirk to throw. =Notes= =Sources= Category:The Animated Series Category:Episodes